Price Statement on 20th Anniversary of 1996 Welfare Reforms

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price, M.D. (GA-06) issued the following statement today in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the 1996 welfare reforms:

“The signing of welfare reform 20 years ago today was an impressive moment in our nation’s history. It enacted policies that have helped millions of Americans. It also showed that government could, in fact, learn from its mistakes and choose to pursue solutions that work over a status quo that was failing.

“With the Obama Administration’s efforts to roll back progress and weaken the positive reforms already made, we must restore what’s been lost and move forward. There is more to be done to improve our nation’s safety-net programs so that every one of our fellow citizens who are struggling today can find opportunity and a path to a life of self-sufficiency. As before, House Republicans are leading the way. We are putting forward common sense policy proposals that would empower individuals and families, promote the value of work, provide states the flexibility to address the unique needs of their communities, and much more. We are demanding that government measure success by how many people have been able to rise up and out of poverty rather than how much money Washington has spent. Above all, we are listening to those in need and those who are on the front lines fighting poverty every day and doing extraordinary work.”

Chairman Price is a member of the Task Force on Poverty, Opportunity, & Upward Mobility that took part in developing a set of proposals to fight poverty and improve the nation’s safety-net – as part of the House Republicans’ A Better Way agenda. To learn more, go to Better.GOP.

In October of last year, the House Budget Committee held a hearing focused on “Restoring the Trust for America’s Most Vulnerable” – one of a series of hearings the committee has held as part of its Restoring the Trust for All Generations initiative that is aimed at raising awareness about the fiscal and policy challenges facing our nation’s health, retirement, and economic security programs. To learn more about this effort, go to Restore-Budget.House.Gov.

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